Major reshuffle in police force, as Karnataka transfers 41 IPS officers

BENGALURU: As the state gets ready to welcome the new year, so are 41 IPS officers who have been transferred with immediate effect across the state. In a major reshuffle of the police top brass, chief minister Siddaramaiah has transferred some of the more prominent names from the Bengaluru city police team and infused a mix of old and new faces. It is said Siddaramaiah was seeking to reshuffle the top brass, especially in Bengaluru city, to remove them from their comfort zone. "With the lower rung of the police force till the ACP level transferred out of the City last year, the reshuffle of the old names were on the cards this year," said a CMO official. However, indicators are that advisers to the CM and home minister have recommended the new names as being mandated ahead of the 2018 assembly polls. The top most officer who has been transferred, and has become the 33rd police commissioner of Bengaluru city, is Praveen Sood. The 1984 batch IPS officer replaced the incumbent police commissioner N S Megharik, who will now be the chief of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Exiting the Bengaluru city police division, along with Megharik, is Addl CP (east) P Harishekaran and KSR Charan Reddy Addl CP (west). While Harishekaran has been shunted out as the IGP for western range, Reddy has been appointed as the IGP for Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP). Siddaramaiah has appointed Malini Krishnamoorthy as Addl CP (west) and Hemanth Nimbalkar as Addl CP (east). Meanwhile, at the ACB, the top two have been shunted out with K V Gagandeep and M A Saleem both relieved of their duties at the bureau.Gagandeep, who was reluctant in take up the ACB responsibility, has been appointed as the ADGP (crimes and technical services) and Saleem has been appointed as IGP (eastern range) in Davangere.